Last of September - Starting October

September was so filled with activities and little trips I've been sitting here trying to figure out what did I do and what did I get done.  The big accomplishment for the month was the baby quilt for my new great granddaughter.  We've been calling her Adrianna all this time but was informed the other day that may not be her name.  They are still thinking about it. So I will either need to wait until she is born to attach a personal label or make it with out her name.  So here is the quilt just needing the binding hand stitched. 

Here's a close up of my quilting, I am happy on how it turned out.  Practice is making it better. 

My other goals for the month were to start top stitching the bears - which I did.  

And to catch up on my Bag Ladies - Not really.  I made progress on them but did not get them completed.  

Those were my only goals, the rest of the month and it's projects where just me playing because I had some retreats I was going to.  
Here's what I got accomplished from them.
Top to Grandma's Attic - Old Glory.

Pod Cat's Top and starting to quilt it.

Pepper Puss Top.

Prismatic Vines.  The top is almost done. I still need to finish the borders - I was stalled on that for a little trying to figure out what I really wanted to do with them.

Mr. Moose

Kitchen towels: Just realized I still need to put the antenna on the lady bugs - :)

Halloween Wall Hanging - Spook Out

Pillowcases.

So I've really had a busy month and gotten quite a few things started and done.  Now I need to look ahead and figure out what I want to focus on for October. 
Goal(s) for the month.
1. Finish top stitching the the Bears quilt center. 

2. Finish July and August Bag Ladies. 

WIP(s)
1.  My first Work In Progress will be to continue on my Bag ladies each month. Here are September and October.

2. I also want to start working on my Berdies Through the year. 

I have the first block almost completely done, and I have the 2nd block started.  This will be my on going WIP. 
These two items will be my continuing projects to work on.  

Quilting:
I've been working at doing more and more quilting to keep the muscle memory going. So I'm lining up some projects that need to be quilted to just keep going.  These are not goals, but are pinned and ready to practice my quilting on.  
Here's a Fall wall hanging that would be fun to finish since it's fall.

 This next one is another one for Charity. It's small (approximately 45x60)so should be a  good one to practice on. I'm learning to meander so that might work well on this one.

Next - I have been posting about this one for years - lol - It's a larger Baby quilt that I've had pinned for over a year - maybe 2 years. I started then stalled out not knowing how I wanted to do it, but I  have a couple of ideas now.. so maybe I can get it done.  

This one is a panel that I cut up and sewed back together so it faces both directions.  

I don't know how many or much of these I'll get quilted but It will be fun to practice on them.  

AND

I have yet another retreat and I already have some stuff prepped for it. I had about 12 things (and keep adding to it) prepped and ready knowing I had retreats every month for several months in a row. So I just keep grabbing from that pile as each retreat comes up. These items are usually just for fun and not always part of my goals.
Here again are things to choose from: 

On the one below along with doing it (the  fish), I have some Red, White, and Blue strips that I thought would be fun to alternate and put scottie dogs on it.  

I also have this scrappy one.

And this scrappy one using the pattern below. 

  

So as you can see I have plenty to keep me busy whether for fun or for goals.  Hope you have fun doing something that you want to do.  

Blessings,  Lynn 

Swirly Sheep and Goblins

One of my September goals was to start quilting my newest great granddaughter, Adrianna's quilt.  

Here is a little close up on my swirly flowers.  

Before I worked on this I played around with a new little design - a cat. 

And then I practiced my swirly flowers on the cat wall hanging. 

Remember the Halloween wall hanging that my friend dropped off for me to take to the retreat? Well I got it finished Wednesday and then got the binding on Wednesday night. 

I went ahead and used the patterns suggestions on how to quilt it - and I like how it came out. 

On Thursday I went to my guild meeting and was able to give it to my friend so she be able to give to her granddaughter.

(I have blocked her name tag since it has both her first and last name) 

It was fun to do and even more fun to know that I was able to give it back to her. 

Not sure what today holds but if I get sewing time I will be making more swirls on my sheep.

Have a Blessed Day!

Lynn 

Weekend Wrap

Weekend Retreat was very nice and fairly productive. 
Thursday, the day before the retreat began, hubby and I were running last minute errands and then were going to take my stuff to the retreat room to set up.  As we came home to pick up my stuff to take we had a sweet little surprise waiting for me.  This kit. A friend dropped it off with a note that said have fun at the retreat.

So I grabbed it and took it along with the rest of the stuff I had planned to do at the retreat. 
Now the story is when I called to thank her, that she thought it was a panel and wanted it for her granddaughter.  Well what she doesn't know yet, I put it at the top of the list and started it first so that I can finish it and give it back to her so she can still have it for her granddaughter. 
So plans change as they do quite often,  but it's okay by be - this was a fun project to work on.
Here's what I got done at the retreat. 

I  need to add the spider and web and then quilt and bind.  I'm hoping to have it done by end of the week. Next I pulled out and worked on "Pepper Puss" and I was able to complete the top. 

Once that was done.  I top stitched the dish towels I had prepped. 

The next two are done - I think.  I haven't decided if the bee hive needs rings or not...  maybe

This one is done. 

The lady bugs need eyes and antenna's.

  After those were done - I got to work on putting the green sashing strips on my 4 patch poesy.  

I got all of blocks sewn into rows, and all but three of the rows sewn together.  Here's a picture of it right before I packed up and headed home from the retreat. 

It was a very nice retreat and I met some fun new people.  Since I was a fill in alternate to this retreat, I am not sure when I will get to go with them again, but told them I'd love to be on the list of alternates for future retreats.  

I've got 5 weeks until my next retreat in October, and still have projects that I didn't get to this time - so I guess I'm ready to go when it gets here.  
Have a blessed day.  
Lynn

Paying it Forward

Some call it Karma, some say what goes around comes around. I call it reaping and sowing - because that's what the Bible calls it. 
Our Pastor always said, if you want people to be friendly to you, you need to be friendly.  And if you want people to be good to your kids - be good to others children.  
Well - it's a little of a long story - but if you know me long stories are my specialty.  lol
I was in the local quilt store a few weeks ago doing some stitching with some of my friends, when this lady whom I've seen a few times before came in and wanted to know who wanted to buy some Tamales.  Well 3 of us went ahead a each bought a half dozen and so she went out to get them.  
After she brought them back in.  She started and telling us about her car breaking down and how this mechanic had tried to cheat them.  Then she said "But the Lord was watching and he protected us."  So she finishes her story and walks off. 
Well a couple of us decided that we would go ahead and eat one of the tamales right then since it was close to lunch time and then went back to sewing.
Pretty soon she comes back and asked who is Lynn.  Rut Row, I'm like what's up, lol then I said I was.  She said she had seen the doll in the quilt shop owners office and her granddaughter had a doll but the dog ate the dress and could I make a dress for her granddaughter's doll?   
Call me a softy - I said yes, but told her I would need the doll to figure out what size.  Well we worked out the details over the next few days, and I went to her house to pick up the doll.  While I was there I gave her one of the dolls in a bag that I already had made up that way she had something to play with while I had her doll.  The grandma was so happy.  
Due to me being out of town and her not feeling good, I was unable to give her the baby doll back until right before my retreat.  Even then we still had trouble hooking up and I left it at the quilt shop and talked to her on the phone to tell her so. 
Here is what I came up with.  A Dress, a night gown, a pair of pajama's and a quilt. 

It would have been nice to give to her personally - I never did meet the granddaughter, but I was happy to know that I was able to do something nice for her. Hope you have a blessed day - 
Lynn